Syria in Past 24 Hours: Tens of Militants Evacuate Southern Damascus after Yarmouk Agreement

Tens of militants started leaving the Yarmouk Refugee Camp for Idlib province on Tuesday after they reached an evacuation agreement with the Syrian army.

News ID: 69979

Date: 02 May 2018 - 18:53

TEHRAN (Defapress)- Five buses carrying 200 militants and their family members left Yarmouk Camp for Idlib via a checkpoint near al-Batikhah square in the first phase of the evacuation plan in the region.

Also, 40 people who had been kidnapped by the militants in the town of Ashtabraq in Idlib and three ambulances carrying a number of residents of the besieged towns of Fua'a and Kafraya were transferred to al-Eis passageway in Southern Aleppo.

A sum of 1,500 residents of Fua'a and Kafraya will leave the towns for government-controlled regions in the first phase of the agreement, and 3,000 more will leave the two towns in the second phase.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army troops continued to advance against ISIL in Southern Damascus province, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in several areas in Hajar al-Aswad region and imposed full control over several farms in the Southern and Southeastern directions of Hajar al-Aswad.

Also, other units of the army exchanged fire with ISIL in Yarmouk Refuge Camp.

Field sources said that tens of ISIL terrorists have been killed or critically wounded in the army's heavy artillery and missile fire and air raids in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk.

The sources added that the remaining pockets of the terrorists fled the battlefield towards the depth of their positions in the region.

They went on to say that ISIL terrorists, deployed in the Southern parts of Yarmouk and Hajar al-Aswad are now under the army siege from the Northern, Southern and Western directions.

Yarmouk and Hajar al-Aswad were controlled by various terrorist groups from the ISIL to the Al-Nusra Front.

Also on Tuesday, the Syrian army troops managed to drive ISIL out of more lands in the Southern parts of Damascus province.

The army men stormed ISIL's positions in al-A'alaf area in Hajar al-Aswad region, imposing control over several points.

Local sources reported that the army units have reached ISIL's positions in al-Sharakas neighborhood and al- Horiyeh school in al-A'alaq after seizing control over the farms West of Hajar al-Aswad.

Also, the Syrian Air Force pounded terrorists' positions and movements in Hajar al-Aswad, inflicting major losses on the militants.

In the meantime, the army's artillery units opened heavy fire at a group of terrorists that were moving inside a tunnel in Hajar al-Aswad region, killing the entire members of the group.

Also in the past 24 hours, tens of young men in the newly-liberated Eastern Qalamoun joined the Syrian Army troops.

Tens of young men in the newly-freed town of al-Rahibeh in Eastern Qalamoun joined the army.

The young men of al-Rahibeh will go under military training and will be tasked with military operations for liberating other terrorist-held regions.

Homs

A day-long ceasefire was declared in Northern Homs on Tuesday after militants' request for talks pursuing their heavy defeats in clashes with the Syrian Army.

A 24-hour-long ceasefire was declared in Northern Homs after the militant groups called for reconciliation talks and a Russian-Syrian delegation and representatives of the militant groups held a meeting in Dar al-Kabirah passageway.

In the meantime, field sources reported that the army has given a two-day ultimatum to the terrorists to surrender and leave Northern Homs for Idlib province or the town of Jarabulus in Northeastern Aleppo.

Also, the Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that the Syrian Air Force pounded terrorists' positions in Northern Homs, including the town of al-Rastan and its outskirt, Talbiseh region and the villages of Deir Foul al-Majdal, al-Za'afaraneh and al-Qantou, inflicting major losses on the militants and forcing them to call for reconciliation talks with the army.

Hama

The Syrian Air Force carried out a fresh round of combat flights over the terrorists' strongholds in Northern Hama, damaging one of their key bases on Tuesday.

The fighter jets pounded the terrorists' positions near the small towns of Kafr Zita, al-Latamina, al-Hamamiyat and al-Zakah in Northern Hama.

One of the main bases of Jeish al-Izzah terrorist group was destroyed in the air raid near the al-Latamina near al-Assi river that left a number of terrorists dead.

Also, the bombardment destroyed a military vehicle of the terrorists South of the small town of al-Hamamiyat, leaving the entire gunmen on board dead or wounded.

Deir Ezzur

The US-led coalition fighter jets bombed the Syrian Army positions in Eastern Deir Ezzur after the army's advances against the Washington-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the province, militant-affiliated websites reported on Tuesday.

Qasyoun news website reported that the fighter jets bombed the army positions between the towns of al-Qouriyeh and Mahkan near the Euphrates River bank in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

The coalition's air raid came after the army won control of several villages, including al-Ji'eh and Janineh in Western Deir Ezzur.

Also in the past 24 hours, field sources said that battle between the Syrian Army and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was becoming likely as both sides have dispatched a large number of forces to Western Deir Ezzur.

The sources said that the army has dispatched a large number of soldiers and equipment from Deir Ezzur city to the towns of al-Hosseiniyeh and al-Salehuyeh in Western Deir Ezzur in al-Jazeera region on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River to reinvigorate its positions.

Meantime, the SDF has also sent a military convoy, including several vehicles and a number of fighters along with a number of US troops and vehicles, to Western Deir Ezzur, the sources said.

The sources said the situation is now growing ripe for a tough battle between the two sides in the region.

Idlib

Hundreds of militants and their family members that left Eastern Qalamoun for terrorist-held regions in Idlib province are living in a very bad conditions under the rule of their comrades, an Arab media outlet reported on Tuesday.

Syria's al-Watan daily reported that those militants that turned down the Syrian army's peace and amnesty offer in Eastern Qalamoun and left the region for Idlib along with their family members are now in refugee camps in agricultural lands in Idlib countryside, where there is no pipe water or sewage system.

The daily said some 4,000 militants and their family members have been sheltered in Deir Balout camp between the towns of Afrin and Atmeh in Northern Idlib, adding that these militants are mostly from al-Dumayr, al-Rahibeh, Jayroud, al-Naseriyeh and al-Atneh regions in Eastern Qalamoun.

The report said the people in the notorious camp are suffering an acute shortage basic needs, adding that the unlivable conditions imposed on the militants and their families will soon take hundreds of toll.

The Arab media outlet did not provide any further details, but the Turkey-backed militants ruling parts of Idlib treat newcomers from Qalamoun, Ghouta and other suburban Damascus towns differently.

Aleppo

The US and France have dispatched new military convoys to the town of Manbij, North-East of Aleppo province as tensions go high in the region, a media outlet reported on Tuesday.

Orient news website reported that the American and French forces have deployed near Sajour River Northwest of the town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo.

Also, other sources reported that the Kurdish militias have been put on alert in the town of Manbij and have started to set up more checkpoints in and outside the town.

In the meantime, local sources in the town of al-Bab reported that the US and French forces have deployed in a region between the Kurdish positions and the regions held by the Turkey-led Euphrates Shield forces.

Also in the past 24 hours, the US and France have dispatched new military convoys to the town of Manbij, North-East of Aleppo province as tensions go high in the region, a media outlet reported.

Hasaka

Tens of civilians were killed or wounded in another US air force bombardment in Southern Hasaka on Tuesday.

The warplanes pounded the village of al-Fazel near the town of al-Shadadi, killing and wounding tens of civilians.

There is yet no further detail available on the exact number of casualties in the incident.

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